Learn how to read between the lines when researching products and services online

Finding Fakes

Finding Fakes

You know to check reviews before you buy something, visit somewhere or hire someone, but don’t believe everything you read. About 30% of online reviews for services, goods and establishments are inauthentic, says Bing Liu, a professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago who researches online reviews’ credibility. Biased or completely fabricated reviews can come from business owners and their competitors, as well as people who get paid to write glowing endorsements. As a general rule, trust reviews that seem earnest, but not overly complimentary, and purchase items or services that have been reviewed many times by different-sounding people (reviews should vary in sentence and overall length and use different words). And watch out for these ruses in the following nine types of reviews.

1. Beauty Products

1. Beauty Products

Many beauty brands pay reviewers to bury negative reviews by posting more recent positive ones, explains Robert Cole, founder of RockCheetah, a firm that advises businesses on marketing strategy in Menomonee Falls, WI. Dismiss reviews that tout perfect results, such as erasing wrinkles or performing other skin miracles. Instead, look for people who’ve had realistic improvements, like less redness or dryness after using a product. Pay attention to skin and hair types too. For instance, a reviewer with oily skin may not like a heavy face cream meant for dry skin. One more tip: “Ignore reviews that refer to competitive products as superior to the product being reviewed,” says Cole. These are usually written on behalf of competitors.